Herbert Jordan and Robert Graves offer different styles and interpretations in their translations of Homer's Iliad. Jordan's rendition tends toward a more straightforward and accessible prose style, as seen in the introduction where he writes, "Sing, goddess, of Peleus' son Achilles' anger"—a clear and direct invocation that sets the epic's tragic tone. In contrast, Graves opts for a more lyrical and rhythmic expression, opening with "Sing, Mountain Goddess, sing through me," which retains a poetic cadence that evokes the oral tradition of ancient storytelling. Jordan’s translation often maintains a focus on clarity, even in complex dialogues like Athena encouraging Diomedes, while Graves adds a touch of dramatization with lines such as "Up with you, and go for that mad, raving fellow." In reflecting on themes like mortality, both translators handle the imagery of leaves differently. Jordan's "Clans of men are like foliage on trees" conveys a sense of renewal amid human transience, while Graves’ passage presents a starker cycle of life and death with lines like "Old Mother Earth their fall receives." When Achilles contemplates his fate in Book 9, Jordan’s language is more literal and direct, emphasizing choices between a short glorious life and a long obscure one. Graves offers a rhythmic structure, creating a sense of solemnity and inevitability. Thus, both translations provide unique approaches—Jordan leaning toward clarity and modern accessibility, while Graves strives for a more poetic and emotive rendition, reflecting their distinct interpretive choices in rendering the epic.
Sing, goddess, of Peleus' son Achilles' anger,
ruinous, that caused the Greeks untold ordeals,
consigned to Hades countless valiant souls,
heroes, and left their bodies prey for dogs
or feast for vultures. Zeus's will was done
from when those two first quarreled and split apart,
the king, Agamemnon, and matchless Achilles.
Sing, Mountain Goddess, sing through me
That anger which most ruinously
Inflamed Achilles, Peleus' son,
And which, before the tale was done,
Had glutted Hell with champions—bold,
Stern spirits by the thousandfold;
Ravens and dogs their corpses ate
For thus did Zeus, who watched their fate,
See his resolve, first taken when
Proud Agamemnon, King of men,
An insult on Achilles cast,
Achieve accomplishment at last.